Thursday 15th September 2022

Well it's definitely Autumn now. The evenings are darker and it's much colder. I've been wearing wool socks and the heating is timed to come on for an hour before we get up - just to take the chill off.

I've been busy in the garden and polycrubs, getting my winter crops in, and harvesting the end of summer crops. Mostly beans, it has to be said. Runner beans and climbers. I'm freezing half as demi-sec beans and leaving the rest to dry completely. I have a great bed of carrots and onions, which I am just picking as I need them, for now, and some cabbage and broccoli in the other bed, as well as undercover.

I've planted out the polycrub up at the house with all sorts of stuff - mostly leafy greens, salads and brassicas, but there are carrots, beets and Christmas potatoes in there too.

I've still a couple of jobs to finish off, but I am very happy with all I've achieved. I'm glad I concentrated on the winter veg this year - it feels very satisfying.

The Queen died last week. I don't think I've written a blog post since then. I'm not a great fan of the royals - but it did make me think about my Mother's last days, so I was sad for the family. It will be interesting to see if and how attitudes change now she has gone.

Bake- off is back. Another lovely group of people in the tent, and the new series of All Creatures Great and Small started tonight. I recorded it to watch later in the week.

I'm almost finished the top I am knitting- just one sleeve to go. It's been a bit of a slog - now into the third month, but I'm excited to finish it now. I tried it on tonight, when I cast off the first sleeve and I am so pleased with how it looks.

That's really it for now. Usual housework and runs into town. Food shopping, gym, boxing and pizza tomorrow. I do like a Friday.

Thursday 27th January 2022

I keep forgetting to blog. I usually post at night, as an end of day thing, but I’ve been quite tired at bedtime lately. I’ve also started reading The Brothers Karamazov, which has diverted my attention from the online world. I’m still ambivalent about it - the online world, I mean. Dostoevsky is wonderful.

Life has been going along in it’s usual rhythm - home, shopping, workouts, meetings etc. I planted garlic and tulips, very late, but they should be ok. I sowed some radish and mooli in the polycrub - hopefully for some future ferments. I have a whole assortment of jars on the dresser now. Yesterday I made some kimchi, which tastes amazing right now, so it’s going to be pretty special in a fortnight’s time. I also made a celeriac kraut, with celeriac that I grew myself! They weren’t very big, but there was enough for a litre jar once they were shredded and pounded down. I also have fermented cranberry relish on the go and today’s experiment was Japanese miso pickles - misozuke - delicious wee flavour bombs.

I went for a swim at the weekend. It was so amazing being in the cold water, and I felt brilliant, but it did take me the rest of the day to feel warm again and even on Sunday I felt a bit chilled. I might leave off for a month or so now, until the temperature creeps up a bit. I only stayed in for 10 minutes. Maybe it was the windchill - I haven’t really mastered the art of getting dressed quickly once I get out.

Not much else to report. I finished the socks - I’m wearing them now, and I’ve cast on another pair. I still have the boy’s jumper on the go too. The snowdrops are out. Think that’s about it.